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American Beauties At Shannons Melbourne Auction


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MELBOURNE – Aug 3, 2010: It will be ‘Happy Days’ for American car enthusiasts at Shannons next Melbourne auction on Monday August 16 with eight left hand drive American ‘beauties’ spanning 15 years from 1956 until 1971 going under the hammer.

One of the most desirable is a beautifully-restored 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible finished in Colonial White with a matching black and white interior.

The car is fitted with all the trademark ’56 Thunderbird features including the removable hardtop with its distinctive ‘porthole’ side windows, the Continental kit, which relocated the spare wheel onto the back bumper to improve luggage space and windscreen-mounted wind wings to reduce cockpit buffeting with the hood down.

With just 15,631 examples built, the ’56 T-bird remains one of the most collectable – and also most recognisable - American cars of the 1950s. Shannons expect this excellent example to sell in the $62,000-$68,000 range.

The 1958 DeSoto Fireflite four-door hard top sedan was built two years later and with its jutting tail fins was also a real head-turner. It is also significant as one of the last models of the marquee built before Chrysler dropped the then-53 year-old nameplate in 1961.

When imported to Australia in 1995, the Fireflite with its 361-cid Big Block Wedge V8 being auctioned by Shannons was a dowdy, one owner car, but it began another life in the hands of its new owner, who stripped it down and began gathering a comprehensive array of original and NOS parts.

The current owner took over the project in 2009 and has since completed a spectacular restoration, taking the opportunity to mildly customise to enhance its ‘wow’ factor in the process.

These modifications included shaving the rear door handles and resetting the doors to give the car a two door look, while the car was lowered around 100mm and fitted with chrome spoke 18-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels and tyres.

The final touch was the Candy flake gold and matching white pearl paintwork that makes the car look wicked, day or night.

Shannons are expecting this unique and spectacular DeSoto to sell in the $46,000-$54,000 range.

Also from the 1950s is a restored and well-presented Chevrolet 210 Station Wagon in two-tone blue and white ($28,000-$34,0000).

The Pony Car area of the 1960s is represented by a 1966 ‘350H Hertz’ replica Mustang Fastback ($52,000-$58,000), a 1967 Camaro RS ($34,000-$40,000) and a 1969 Chevelle SS ‘clone’ ($28,000-$34,000).

Meanwhile Cadillac enthusiasts have a choice of two models – a two door 1964 Cadillac Coupe De Ville (18,000-$22,000) and a 1971 Eldorado Convertible ($20,0000-$25,000).